The Dagger and the Coin series is rapidly becoming one of my favorite ever. (Elevator pitch: banking + dragons. Obviously, my objectivity is compromised.) It is the rare work that grows in ambition over time and simultaneously in skill to meet it.
"What does the villain want?" a tragically underasked question in fiction, and this series attempts to remedy it by repeatedly verbally asking the villain that question explicitly. (Caveat: I'm not sure he's the villain, per se. A sociopath, certainly, and a powerful one.)